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Former U.S. Marine told his flagpole violates Hypoluxo code

Former U.S. Marine told his flagpole violates Hypoluxo code

This week: Greg Shaffer, 24, a Marine from Hypoluxo, was told he needed a permit for a flagpole in front of his home to fly his flag.

2009: Elena Johnson of Palm Beach Gardens was told the giant American flag painted on the side of her North Palm Beach shop violated zoning code. She was able to keep it.

2002: Marine George Andres, of Jupiter, wanted to fly his flag on a 12-foot pole in his yard. His HOA said it had to be flown from a pole attached to the wall.

2008: Donald Trump was fined $1,250 a day by Palm Beach after he erected a flag on an 80-foot pole in front of Mar-a-Lago Club. Trump sued, eventually settling with the town. The pole was moved from its original location.

2012: Car dealer Earl Stewart wanted to install a 343-foot flagpole at his dealership in Lake Park to fly the world’s tallest American flag, but it was voted down by commissioners.

A retired U.S. Marine from Hypoluxo is the most recent Palm Beach County resident to face code violations while trying to fly the American flag on his property.

For Greg Schaffer, 24, it was only natural that he would fly Old Glory on the front lawn of his new home in Hypoluxo. After all, Schaffer said, he has proudly displayed the nation’s flag in at least two other places he has lived since returning from Iraq in 2008.

Soon after moving into his new home on Park Lane East this month, Schaffer dug a hole in his front lawn and installed the flagpole. He hung both the U.S. flag and a yellow Gadsden flag which bears the words “Don’t Tread on Me.”

Four days later, he said, a town building official knocked on his door, and with a notice in hand, told Schaffer the pole did not meet town code regulations. He either had to get a permit within 30 days, or remove it.

“It’s not the first time I put up a pole. Why would I know I’d need a permit for flying a flag on a pole?” Schaffer said outside his home Thursday afternoon.

And it’s not the first time Palm Beach County residents have been told their American flags may have to come down because of code violations. Schaffer joins a group that includes a former Marine from Jupiter, a North Palm Beach businesswoman, a car dealer magnate and even Donald Trump, all who’ve had their run-ins with code violations over their American flags.

As for Schaffer, Hypoluxo town officials said they received an anonymous phone call alerting them about Schaffer’s flagpole. Schaffer never was asked to remove the flags — he is still flying both. He just must have an engineer-approved plan that guarantees the pole can withstand 150 mph winds and submit the plans for approval.

“We did not ask the gentleman to remove his flags. The issue is the permits for a pole,” Hypoluxo Town Clerk Barbara Lee Searls said.

But the hateful comments keep coming in to town administrators from people outraged that Schaffer could be prohibited from flying his flags if the pole is not up to code.

“We’ve had so much hate mail and people using foul language,” Searls added. “We were debating on whether to lock our front door this morning.”

Elena Johnson knows what Schaffer is going through. In 2009, the Palm Beach Gardens resident was trying to keep a giant American flag painted on the side of her True Treasures consignment shop on Northlake Boulevard. But North Palm Beach officials said the flag violated the zoning code.

Eventually, Johnson was able to keep the flag on the building wall, but she still remembers the struggle to try to keep what she considers “the symbol of our liberty.”

“There have to be rules and regulations, I understand, but the symbol of this country, which is the flag, should be kept as an exception to the rule,” Johnson told The Palm Beach Post recently.

In 2002, retired Marine George Andres of Jupiter wanted to fly the American flag on a 12-foot pole in his yard. But his homeowners association said the flag had to be flown from a pole attached to the wall.

Then-Gov. Jeb Bush heard of Andres’ predicament and, during a campaign stop in Palm Beach County, handed Andres an American flag that had been raised in the Capitol. He also gave Andres $100 toward his legal fight.

Even the more prominent Palm Beach County residents have had flag flaps in the past. In 2008, Donald Trump was fined $1,250 a day by the town of Palm Beach, after he erected a flag on an 80-foot pole in front of the exclusive Mar-a-Lago Club. The flag was 15 times larger than the 4-by-6 flag allowed on a 42-foot pole.

Trump responded with a $25 million lawsuit. Eventually, Palm Beach and Trump settled. The town agreed to allow a 70-foot flag pole, moved southwest from its original location. Trump agreed to donate $100,000 to veterans charities instead of paying a $120,000 fine.

Last year, local car dealer Earl Stewart wanted to install a 343-foot flagpole at his Toyota dealership on U.S. 1 to fly the tallest American flag on earth, but Lake Park commissioners voted it down. Stewart said he wanted to fly the flag to honor the fallen heroes of Sept. 11.

Schaffer, the Hypoluxo veteran, said a contractor who heard about his issue with Hypoluxo’s building codes volunteered to draft the plans and incur all costs. Schaffer is hoping to have the plans finalized in a few days. Meanwhile, his flags continue to wave.